Wafer-level manufacturing of camera modules manufactured with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologies has contributed to the incorporation of camera modules in high-volume consumer products such as mobile devices and motor vehicles. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device wafer 100 having a plurality of devices 102 thereon. Devices 102 are for example CMOS image sensors used in the aforementioned camera modules. FIG. 1 includes a plurality of scribe lines 190 between adjacent rows and columns of devices 102. Dicing device wafer 100 along scribe lines 190, by laser grooving for example, results in a plurality of singulated devices 102.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of device wafer 100 along cross-section A-A′ of FIG. 1 after a groove 250 is formed along a scribe line 190. Cross-section A-A′ intersects a plurality of devices 102 including devices 102(1) and 102(2). Device wafer 100 includes dielectric layers 206(0-4), a device substrate layer 220, a bond pad 210, and a top surface 100T. Device substrate layer 220 is, for example, a semiconductor, such as silicon. Dielectric layers 206 include conductive traces 207, which for clarity of illustration are not all labelled. Conductive traces 207 within a seal-ring region 207R(1) are electrically connected with device 102(1). Conductive traces 207 within a seal-ring region 207R(2) are electrically connected with device 102(2).
FIG. 2 also illustrates debris 213 that results from the laser grooving process that forms groove 250. Debris 213 has a height 213H that is typically less than two micrometers. A plurality of device dies 100D is obtained by dicing wafer 100 through carrier 201 beneath groove 250. A vacuum nozzle 280 is used to pick and place each device die 100D. Vacuum nozzle 280 may touch debris 213 during the pick-and-place process, which can results in debris 213 damaging one or more of vacuum nozzle 280, top surface 100T, and device 102.